


Forever Isn't Long Enough

by JoMouse



Series: Sterek Week 2020 [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Boys Kissing, Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Stargazing, Sterekstars, sterekweek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27234541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMouse/pseuds/JoMouse
Summary: Stiles used to go stargazing with his mom. After she passed, he snuck out and went alone and met a friend he was convinced was imaginary.Fifteen years later, Stiles goes stargazing again and this time he's not alone.
Relationships: Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Series: Sterek Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985668
Comments: 37
Kudos: 151





	Forever Isn't Long Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings and Salutations!
> 
> I don't say this very often, but I really loved writing this story so I hope you all enjoy reading it!
> 
> Big thanks, as always, to the ever-wonderful, [Marie](HTTP://quietzap.tumblr.com) for betaing and cheerleading.
> 
> xx-Joey
> 
> Don't know 'em. Don't own 'em. Don't show 'em.

Quietly, Stiles pulled the straps of his Superman backpack over his shoulder and tiptoed across the floor of his room. He could hear his dad downstairs in the kitchen and he frowned when he heard the sound of glass against glass, knowing that meant his dad was drinking again. The need for quiet was gone since his father would be too drunk to notice that Stiles was gone.

Sliding his window up, he glanced out at the roof, and then the trellis leading down to the ground. Swallowing loudly, he lifted one leg over the windowsill and bounced his foot until the toe made contact with the roof. Still moving slowly, he edged over the sill until he was flatfooted and then brought his other leg out and stood on the roof, his hands gripped, knuckles white, around the sill.

Taking a deep breath, he made his way to his stomach and then over the edge of the roof, dangling for a moment before managing to get his feet to connect with the trellis. He climbed down slowly, letting out a deep breath and hoping when he came home that going up would be easier. Looking around, he turned on his flashlight and ran through the yard toward the trees.

He used to do this with his mom before she got sick. She’d take him into the woods to this really tall hill and they’d lay back on a blanket and look at the stars. She told him stories behind all of the constellations until he fell asleep and they’d wake up the next morning, chilled by the morning dew and laughing at the way they’d both fallen asleep. Soon after, his dad would show up with a fond smile, blankets, and hot cocoa to take them home.

He’d heard the man on the news talking earlier about a meteor shower that night and he knew that he had to see it. He mentioned it to his dad but he’d just frowned and turned his attention back to the stack of files in front of him, muttering about having no time for childish endeavors. Well, Stiles was a child and he had nothing but time and if his father wasn’t going to go with him, he was going to go by himself.

He knew the way to the hill by heart but the woods were a lot scarier when he was on his own and he almost turned back when he thought he saw golden eyes watching him from between the trees. He called out to the eyes and they blinked away. He convinced himself he was imagining things and continued on, gripping his flashlight so hard it hurt.

He focused on the trail in front of him, smiling when he saw the piece of Christmas ribbon his mom had wrapped around a tree branch to mark the trail when the one he was on split into two. Although he remembered the trail, it was good to have a reminder in case he got confused. He heard a branch snap somewhere behind him and started to walk faster, as fast as he could without actually running; his mom had taught him that running would encourage something to chase him and he didn’t want to be chased.

It took another few minutes before he reached the top of the hill and the clearing his mother had shown him. He looked around, frowning at where the grass had grown back over the spot they used to lay their blanket. Before the tears could catch up with him, he set down his backpack and pulled out the plaid blanket he and his mom always used. He shook it out, struggling without another person on the other side to help him lay it flat. After a couple of shakes, he couldn’t fight off the tears anymore and dropped to the ground, gathering the blanket to his face and crying into the soft fabric that still somehow smelled like his mom.

Another branch snapped nearby and he jerked his head up to see a boy a few years older than himself standing at the edge of the clearing, his face in shadows as he stared at Stiles. His eyes were the only thing visible, glowing gold. He knew he should be terrified and his heart was beating rabbit fast but his father had always said he was too curious for his own good. Instead of running for safety, he opened his mouth.

“Your eyes are cool.” The boy muttered a curse and closed his eyes, taking a step backward and it was that movement that got Stiles scrambling to his feet. “Wait! Do you like stars?”

The boy froze, his eyes blinking open, no longer glowing but as Stiles moved closer he could see they were still pretty, a swirl of greens and he grinned, showing off his missing teeth. His smile got even wider when the boy gave a shy one in return. “Stars?”

“I used to watch the stars with my mom,” Stiles said, moving back to the blanket he’d dropped to lay it down again. “We’d lay on the blanket but I can’t get it to lay right by myself.”

The boy moved and took the waving end of the blanket and helped Stiles lay it out. He watched him as Stiles settled, pulling a heavy book and a bag of Oreos out of his backpack. “You can sit,” he offered.

The boy did. “Didn’t your mom tell you not to talk to strangers?”

Stiles froze, a cookie halfway to his mouth, turning and giving him a considering look. “Yes.” The boy tilted his head and raised his eyebrows, making Stiles giggle. “I’m Stiles.” He held a cookie out.

The boy took it carefully and raised it to his mouth, shoving the whole thing in with a sigh. He mumbled something before swallowing and wiping his arm over his mouth to clear it of crumbs. “Wolf.”

“That’s a cool name. Now, we’re not strangers,” Stiles told him and Wolf grinned in return before nodding towards the book. “It’s about the constellations. My mom told me all about them, but I don’t remember them very well.” He frowned and wiped away a tear, hoping Wolf wouldn’t see and call him a cry baby.

“Why didn’t she come with you to tell you?” he asked, moving closer until their sides were touching so they could look at the book together by flashlight.

Stiles chewed his lip for a moment. “She died,” he whispered and found himself wrapped in a one-armed hug. The story of his nights with his mom spilled out of him without his permission but Wolf listened intently, never dropping the arm around his shoulders.

When Stiles was out of words about his mother, they turned their attention to the sky, looking between it and the book. They were able to identify most of the stars they saw in the night sky. Wolf didn’t talk much but he didn’t complain when Stiles talked too much like most people did, so he didn’t mind. As the night wore on, Stiles found himself getting sleepier.

He was about to doze off and Wolf tugged him down so they were lying on their backs, Stiles’ head cushioned by Wolf’s arm. He pointed at the sky and Stiles followed his finger, squinting.

“What are you pointing at?”

“Just wait,” Wolf told him, his lips curled into a warm smile when Stiles peeked at him before looking back at the sky and gasping.

The meteor shower had begun, filling the sky with shooting stars. He wanted to close his eyes and make a million wishes but didn’t want to miss a single moment, so the next time he blinked he thought of a quick wish. As he opened his eyes, he glanced at Wolf who looked as enthralled as he was and he snuggled a little closer. He bounced his focus between the sky and his friend and between one breath and the next he was asleep.

The next thing he was aware of was his father standing over him looking worried and fond at the same time as he gathered Stiles up into his arms, wrapped in the blanket and carried him back to his cruiser. They headed to the diner and got some hot chocolate and Stiles told him about his night before accepting his punishment for sneaking out. He never told his father about Wolf, certain the boy had been a crazy dream.

He never went to stargaze again after that night.

**Fifteen Years Later**

Stiles looked down at his phone and over at the line of trees surrounding the house. He’d been living there with his boyfriend for a couple of years now and it wasn’t the first time he’d been sleepless with a desire to explore the woods, but it was the first time that he’d gotten a text asking him to meet Derek at specific coordinates and instructions to bring the backpack by the front door. He was tempted to look inside to see what was so heavy but the next text had told him not to peek; Derek was good at surprises so he abided by the instructions. 

Sighing, he turned on the flashlight he’d grabbed from the kitchen and started to follow the trails that would lead toward the GPS point. He loved exploring the woods, had since he was a kid and would walk them with his mom and later in his teen years with his best friend, Scott, and finally with Derek. He was the only one who loved the woods as much as Stiles, but he’d grown up there and was a werewolf so that wasn’t really a surprise. 

The deeper into the woods he got, his stomach tingled with familiarity and his eyes stung with tears as memories started to fade into the forefront of this mind. As the slope of the ground moved upwards, Stiles found himself moving more quickly as he thought about holding his mom’s hand and walking these same trails. He wondered what the odds were that the GPS point was the clearing where he used to watch the stars with his mother.

A few minutes later, he broke through the tree line, a smile on his face as he found Derek standing with his hands in his pockets. The shy smile on his face was the one he wore when he wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing, trying to hide a slight fear that Stiles would be angry. When Stiles’ stunned silence stretched on, Derek reached carefully for the backpack he’d brought and unzipped it.

Stiles watched as he pulled out a familiar blanket, one he hadn’t seen in years. His father had hidden it away when he was a kid in an effort to discourage him from sneaking out of the house. He hadn’t even thought of it in the years since his life had gone crazy with Scott being bitten and the supernatural taking over his life. For a second he felt guilty at the idea of forgetting his mother but then Derek pulled out a book about constellations that Stiles hadn’t seen since a night shortly after his mom died.

“How did you get that?” he asked, his voice tight as he reached for it and Derek relinquished his hold.

Stiles flipped through the pages, looking up when Derek hadn’t responded, surprised by the look of devastation on his face. “You really don’t remember,” he whispered when their eyes met.

It was that moment, as their gazes locked that Stiles remembered. He remembered flashing gold eyes, swirling green eyes and a warm hug. He remembered a friend who had listened to him talk and made him not miss his mom so much for one night. A friend he thought he’d made up in his own mind. “Wolf?” he breathed out and Derek nodded and Stiles burst out laughing. “Why did you tell me a fake name?”

Derek’s cheeks pinked slightly as he rubbed a hand over his face. “I thought ‘Stiles’ was a made-up name,” he admitted.

“Technically it is.” They both laughed. “You stole my book.”

“I was watching when your dad came to get you and he picked you up and left it behind.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, staring at the ground. “I know I should’ve given it back but I liked the reminder of you.”

“It survived the fire.” Stiles hugged it to his chest before setting it down and grabbing the blanket, unfurling it so that Derek could grab the other end and they laid it on the ground like they had when they were kids.

“I carried it with me everywhere,” Derek admitted. “Laura used to tease me about it but I didn’t care. It…” He hesitated for a minute while Stiles got settled on the blanket before he settled down next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder much as he had all those years before. The comforting feeling was still there along with a thrill of something else now that their relationship was so much more than the night two strangers became friends. “It belonged to my mate.”

Stiles’ eyes widened. He knew he was Derek’s mate; they’d discussed it before but he hadn’t known that it was something Derek had always known, even before Paige. He thought about all of the things that Derek could’ve avoided if he’d just returned the book and they could’ve continued their friendship but realized he wouldn’t be the man he loved without the pain he’d suffered. They were mates, though, so he would still have loved him.

“Did you know it was me that day in the Preserve when Scott and I were looking for the inhaler?”

“From the moment I scented you,” Derek admitted. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You were a teenager. You had so much to live for and to learn about life, I couldn’t...I didn’t deserve you.” His voice was quiet and the sincerity hurt Stiles deeply.

“You’re an idiot,” he muttered, snuggling into him for a moment before pushing him back to lay on the blanket and he curled up with his head on his arm so they could look up at the sky. 

As they took in the stars, comfortable silence stretching between them, Derek shifted his weight. He was fidgety in a way that he normally wasn’t and Stiles looked at him with raised eyebrows. “Just checking the time,” he said, showing Stiles his wrist, the watch he’d gotten them for their one year anniversary glowing in the dark.

As the second hand moved, Stiles' attention was diverted to the sky beyond Derek’s wrist where a single shooting star moved across the sky. Before he could close his eyes to make a wish, the sky was filled with shooting stars. “A meteor shower!” 

“Just like the night we met,” Derek said and Stiles looked to see him smiling softly at him and Stiles couldn’t resist brushing their lips together, surprised when Derek suddenly sat up and started pulling Stiles to his feet.

“What?” he asked, body tensing to run in case they were under attack but before he could do anything, Derek dropped to a knee in front of him and Stiles dropped down to his own knees, running hands over him. “Are you hurt?” His head whipped around, looking for danger in the trees or the sky. “Are we under attack?”

Derek closed his eyes and gave a long-suffering sigh. “No, you idiot,” he said, reaching into his pocket and withdrawing a small silver ring and holding it out to him. “I’m trying to propose.” 

Stiles fish-mouthed at him at a loss for words. He knew they’d always be together but he had never expected Derek to want to get married. His answer was caught in his throat, drowning in the tears that sprang to his eyes. Derek’s lips turned down at the corners and Stiles started to panic, but then he reached out and rubbed his thumb over the tears on Stiles’ cheek.

“Fifteen years ago tonight, I followed a loud young boy through the woods to be sure he didn’t hurt himself. I learned about the stars and found my mate and lost him again when his father showed up and took him away.” Stiles gave a wet laugh and couldn’t wait to tease his father about that. “Then, after great tragedy in my life, I found him again in the same woods and swore I’d never let him go.” He bit into his lip. “It took years and patience, but I convinced him to love me and now, now I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

Stiles started to nod and reach for the ring but Derek curled it into his fist. “I’m not done,” he said. “I’ve been practicing this for a month, so let me finish.”

“Go right ahead,” Stiles told him, grinning while tears still fell down his cheeks, his heart bursting at the soft look on Derek’s face.

“My life is complete only with you in it, so, Mieczyslaw Stilinski, will you spend forever with me?” Derek said and Stiles stared at him with wide eyes. The silence stretched and Derek let out a chuckle. “I’m done now.”

Stiles made grabby hands at the ring, smiling as Derek slid the ring onto his finger. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.” He threw his arms around Derek’s neck and blinked back tears as Derek buried his face in his neck and inhaled, the sound wet letting him know he wasn’t the only one crying.

Stiles pulled back, cupping Derek’s face in his hands, and pressed their lips together. “I can’t wait to tell everyone what a romantic sap you are,” he said when the kiss broke, smiling when Derek's glower was destroyed by a wide smile.

“You’re a lying liar who lies,” he said, keeping a straight face only until Stiles burst out laughing.

“And you steal my best lines,” he said. “Now, let’s fall asleep under the stars and this time my dad better not steal me away.”

As they settled back, his phone buzzed and he pulled it out and looked at the message from his father. “Is it too early for congratulations?” it read and he gaped at Derek.

“I had to ask permission,” he said with a shrug, pulling Stiles over so his head rested on his chest and tangling his fingers in his hair. 

“I love you,” Stiles sighed and shifted around until he could see the sky, smiling when a lone shooting star crossed above them. “Make a wish.”

Derek pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “It’s already been granted,” he whispered and Stiles giggled and buried his face in Derek’s shirt. 

Despite the chill in the air, Stiles was warm against Derek’s chest and he could quickly feel drowsiness coming over him. He ended up falling asleep during a light-hearted exchange about the type of cake to have at the wedding. When he woke up, the sun was still low in the sky and the dew that had settled was causing Stiles to shiver slightly. 

He looked up to see Derek watching him with a smile. Stretching, he pressed a kiss to Derek’s chin, rubbing his lips in the scruff with a happy sigh. He pushed himself to sit up and saw his father, dressed for work, disappearing into the trees. “Did he try to steal me?” Stiles asked.

Derek stood, stretching and Stiles reached out to tickle the strip of skin that was bared, laughing when he curled into himself; no one would believe him if they told him how ticklish he was and he enjoyed the secret knowledge too much to tell. He watched Derek move to the edge of the clearing before returning with a picnic basket. Stiles opened it before it was even settled on the blanket, finding a thermos he knew was filled with hot chocolate and a bag from the bakery that smelled like cinnamon rolls.

“You thought of everything,” Stiles said, opening the bag and stuffing one of the rolls into his mouth as Derek chuckled and poured the hot chocolate into mugs.

“It’s not that I thought of everything,” he told him. “I just thought of you.”

Stiles stopped chewing and forced himself not to gape to avoid losing some of the chewed cinnamon roll. He could feel his tears forming again as he reached to take one of Derek’s hands in his, squeezing gently, his ring glinting in the rising sun. As he closed his eyes and took a calming breath, his only thought was that forever isn’t long enough.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say 'hi' on tumblr. I'm 'josjournal' over there.


End file.
